Certain present square baler designs utilize a “single fork system” whereby a single loading fork is relied upon to both “pack” the crop material into the pre-compression chamber and “fill,” or convey the crop material into the compression chamber for final densification. In such designs, complex locking and release mechanisms must be employed to allow the loading fork to change paths between the packing and filling operations. When used, such mechanisms are typically complex and require regular maintenance to maintain proper timing and functionality. Furthermore, such components are generally exposed outside the gear housings and used in environments that are prone to wear, necessitating the frequency of adjustment.